Ring-tailed lemur
Common Name: Ring-tailed lemur
Scientific Name: Lemur catta
At Lemur Loop near the giraffes.
Ring-tailed lemurs usually live in groups of 6-24 individuals, but groups of over 30 have been known.
Males perform ritual “stink fights”! They use glands on their wrists and shoulders to mark their tails, which they then wave at each other. These fights can last up to an hour!
During the breeding season, males compete for females in “jump fights”. They leap into the air, trying to slash each other with their upper canines, often causing nasty wounds.
Fast Facts
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Status
Endangered
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Size
Head-body: 39-46 cm; tail length: 56-63 cm
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Weight
2-2.2 kg
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Gestation
138-141 days
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Young
1
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Life Span
Up to 33 years
In the wild
Ring-tailed lemurs eat fruit, leaves, flowers, herbs, bark and sap from a wide variety of plant species. They will also eat rotten wood, earth, insects, and small vertebrates.
Ring-tailed lemurs live in southern and south-western Madagascar. They live in a wide variety of habitats, including dry deciduous forests, forests that are next to water, and brush and scrub. They are adaptable enough to be able to live in both the hottest and driest, and the coldest areas of Madagascar.
Female lemurs usually give birth for the first time at around 3 years old, and then produce offspring every year. Normally one infant is born, but sometimes twins occur. The young are carried on the mother’s front for the first week or two, and after that ride on the backs of their mothers and other group members. All the adult females in a group will help to care for the infants. The young are weaned at 3 months, and will be completely independent by the time they are 6 months old.
Ring-tailed lemurs are known to be hunted by fossas, civets, Madagascar harrier-hawks, Madagascar buzzards, Madagascar ground boas, and domestic cats and dogs.
Ring-tailed lemurs are threatened by habitat loss and hunting for food as well as being captured for the pet trade. They are also threatened by an increase in the number of droughts that occur in parts of their range.
Ring-tailed lemurs are found in a number of protected areas including national parks and special reserves. They are also included on CITES Appendix I, which means that international trade of this lemur and its parts is prohibited.